Chapter 16
Chapter 16
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: The One Who Has It Is Worse Off - 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The current head of the Adenberg Marquis House, Marquis Donovan, was in a deeply troubled state.
It was because his third son, Levin, had gotten tangled up in a drug deal.
Not only did he have to scramble to clean up his son's mess, but he also needed to find a way to dodge the imperial court's prying eyes.
One wrong move, and the entire family could be wiped out.
"Raising one damn kid wrong is gonna drive me insane!"
Even if he wanted to just cut Levin loose and call it a day, the scandal ran too deep. Sacrificing one tail wouldn't be enough to end it.
As the family head, Donovan himself had to step up and prove that he and the house were uninvolved.
Inevitably, this threw a wrench into the slave trade business he'd been ambitiously gearing up for.
In other words, the small ripple Heinz had caused had swelled into a wave crashing down on the Adenbergs.
"Damn it! That wastrel from Altesia is a problem too! Why blow up something that could've been quietly buried? Why do I have to go through all this hell?"
Unable to contain his rage, Donovan tore up the petition he was preparing for the imperial court.
As scraps of paper fluttered through the air, he snatched up a bottle of liquor.
He chugged the strong stuff straight from the bottle, then hurled the empty one aside.
The bottle grazed the cheek of a maid frozen in terror, watching his every move, before smashing loudly against the wall.
Shards flew, slicing her leg, but she didn't dare scream.
She knew instinctively that making a sound would seal her fate just like that bottle.
"Get rid of it."
"Y-yes, sir!"
At his menacing tone, the maid whipped her stiff body into motion somehow.
She grabbed the glass shards recklessly, cutting her hands, but she couldn't afford to stop even for a second.
Blood welled up in her palms as the wounds multiplied, yet she kept picking up the pieces diligently.
The moment she reached for the last one...
"You useless bitch!"
"Kyaaak!"
Donovan grabbed her by the hair and yanked her head back hard.
With her scream, the glass shards she'd painstakingly gathered scattered across the floor again with a clatter.
Even though it was all because of his temper, Donovan couldn't hold back his surging irritation. He slammed her face into the glass-strewn floor.
"You dare dawdle when your master's busy as hell?"
"I-I'm sorry! I'll clean it faster! Please, just forgive me this once...!"
"I don't need a worthless dog that can't even do its job!"
Her neat hairdo unraveled from the rough handling, revealing severed puppy ears—mutilated and ugly.
The maid was a beastkin, a slave covered in scars from brutal abuse.
To Donovan, slaves weren't lives—they were consumables.
So he mercilessly stomped on her head with his shoe heel.
"Beastkin are revolting no matter how many times I see 'em. You filthy things, that elf assassin bitch too!"
After venting his stress with a torrent of vicious insults and sadism, Donovan shook the blood from his hands.
Then he muttered the name of the person he loathed most.
"Heinz... Heinz Altesia... You clueless wastrel who knows nothing of the world."
The ringleader of this whole disaster.
Only seeing that wretch's head severed in a gruesome end would ease the knot of fury in his chest.
His fingers drumming the desk stopped as his calculations wrapped up.
"Fine! Let him have it. That land-grubbing elf won't last anyway—she'll get crushed by Altesia soon enough."
Donovan recalled Lena's demand: half his territory in exchange for Heinz Altesia's head.
Absurd on its face, but he smirked bitterly and reached his conclusion.
Ownership ultimately belonged to the survivor, didn't it?
Donovan had already schemed meticulously: once the commission ended, he'd use the Altesia family head to dispose of Lena like trash discarded after use.
As if he'd come up with some brilliant masterstroke, he burst into mad laughter.
Oblivious to the mood among the knights stationed in Adenberg territory.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Lena and Maribel's first meeting ended on an unexpectedly anticlimactic note.
Maybe because it was all business talk instead of anything personal.
Maribel had things she wanted to discuss privately but couldn't, so she sulked all morning.
She couldn't very well hold up a busy person right after the report either.
All she could do was look forward to their next encounter.
"How about I go on an inspection tour for a change?"
"Pardon? Didn't you say you'd focus on making elixirs this afternoon?"
"I did, but I haven't checked the territory's state once since returning from the capital. I got reports on any changes while I was away, but it'd be better to see it with my own eyes, right?"
"I'll come with you."
"Obviously. Can't have my guard slacking on the job already."
"Heehee, you're right!"
To lift Maribel's mood as well, they scheduled an outing.
She beamed like a child at the invitation, then trotted over to take position behind me.
Luke watched with pleading eyes, but I saddled him with extra work to keep him tied down.
It wasn't favoritism. I planned to move incognito this time, so one escort was plenty.
Too many tails trailing behind would just draw unwanted eyes.
If Luke had the strength for guard duty, it might've been different.
"Let's go."
"Yes!"
I headed out into the streets with Maribel in tow.
Since it was her first time in Altesia, we wandered around, checking out the sights.
We snacked through the market, watched a bard perform by the fountain, and so on.
For me, who'd never visited anywhere but key facilities, it was a pretty fresh experience.
In my mind, towns were just spots to save at the inn, stock up on adventure gear, and grab side quests.
I'd had no idea apple pie was Altesia's signature treat.
"Mmm~! So good! It's so delicious, I could eat twenty more!"
"Eat like that and you'll get fat."
"I've been bedridden for years, so a little padding wouldn't hurt!"
I glanced sideways at Maribel, her cheeks bulging as she happily chewed a mouthful of apple pie.
Poison had kept her from proper meals, leaving her frame slender and frail overall.
Her chest was the exception, of course.
I both anticipated and dreaded how much bigger it'd get with some meat on her bones.
"Come to think of it, thanks to you helping me, Heinz, I can enjoy treats like this. How ever can I repay such a favor...?"
"Skip the thanks and have more pie. It'll get cold."
"Yes!"
She smiled brightly in the sunlight as she replied.
My breath caught for a second, and I hurriedly looked away.
I'd nearly lost myself staring at her face like an idiot.
Not just deadly with a blade—this assassin could enchant people too.
"By the way, the checkpoint's been extra noisy since earlier."
"Is it? I don't hear a thing."
Even from here, where the checkpoint wasn't visible to the naked eye, she picked up on it. Incredible.
They say assassins hear daytime whispers and nighttime secrets. Might be true.
Putting my admiration on hold, Maribel and I headed to the checkpoint.
Incognito or not, the acting lord had duties to handle.
"Sounds like an out-of-towner arguing with the guards. I hear coin clinking too."
"A merchant?"
"Doubt it. Guards wouldn't block a merchant—especially not in Altesia."
Altesia had started as merchants before becoming nobility.
We never forgot our roots, so we never mistreated traders here.
So, not a merchant, but someone loaded with cash.
Who could it be? No clue.
"Why won't you let me in?!"
"Cough up your ID if you wanna pass, kid."
"I said I'd pay for a temporary one!"
"Sorry, that's for humans only. Can't let in beastkin riffraff like you!"
A girl with wolf ears atop brown hair got shoved roughly.
The wolf girl tumbled to the ground but scrambled back up, protesting fiercely. The gatekeepers ignored her completely.
Young, beastkin, and raggedly dressed—they openly treated her like vermin.
Still, she refused to back down and tried pushing her way in.
She looked oddly familiar.
"Looking that grubby, you must be a slave. Where's your master? And what's with that bundle?"
"Runaway, maybe?"
"Urk...!"
Hit where it hurt, the girl flinched and stepped back.
That only fueled the guards' suspicions, backing her into a corner.
Soon they eyed her hefty bundle greedily and lunged. She clutched it desperately, refusing to let go.
Maribel had mentioned coin sounds, so no need to check the contents.
But judging by the size and weight, it was far too much for a ragged girl like her.
"Heinz, I think I know who that kid is."
"Who?"
"Saw her at the capital's casino. One of the guests had her as a slave."
"At that casino that burned down? Then..."
"Looks like she made off with that mountain of gold coins."
"So she's the sole survivor."
Maribel nodded.
Surviving that hell where they slaughtered each other for the money? No ordinary guts.
And lugging it all the way here intact? Impressive.
The bundle's bulk suggested serious weight, yet she carried it like nothing.
Not for nothing was she the casino champ.
"Weird, though. With that fortune, she could've lived it up. Why wander broke and ragged without spending a dime?"
"Guess you'll have to ask her yourself."
To solve the mystery, we'd need to pull the kid aside first.
Just as a guard reached for her bundle, I grabbed his wrist.
"Who dares interfere with official dut—Gasp! Y-young Master Heinz!"
"Sorry about that. Didn't mean to disrupt your sacred duties, guard."
"N-no, sir! We're sorry you had to see this disgrace!"
The guards crumpled at the sight of me, bowing deeply.
They blustered about handling the grubby brat themselves, but I waved them off.
"Forget it. The line's backed up—do your inspections. I'll take responsibility for this one."
""Understood! Loyalty!""
As the guards scurried away, the wolf girl—who'd collapsed on the ground—dropped to her knees before me.
She clearly knew who I was.
Well, after the chaos at the casino, no way she wouldn't recognize my face.
"You're that kid from the casino, right?"
"Yeah! That's me!"
"How'd you end up all the way out here?"
"Came to see you, big bro!"
"Big bro? You got family here?"
"Nah, I mean the bro talking to me right now!"
I was speechless for a moment.
Never thought I'd hear "big bro" after becoming Heinz.
My lips twitched, but Maribel's icy stare from behind froze it solid.
Suppressing my feelings, I pressed on.
"How'd you know I was here?"
"I followed your scent all the way from the capital 'cause I wanted to ask you a favor!"
"Tracked me from that far on scent alone? You expect me to buy that?"
"I can remember anyone's scent forever after one whiff! And no matter how far they go, I can pinpoint their location by it!"
"A unique ability, huh..."
Unique abilities—held by only one person in the world.
Cheat-level powers that defied common sense, said to be blessings from the gods.
The protagonist and major players each had one.
A bit surprising for such a young girl to have one.
"Alright, say I believe you. What favor brought you all this way?"
"Take all the money you won at the casino! In return, make me strong!"
"Strong for what?"
"To get back my little siblings—they were sold into slavery!"
Her eyes sparkled brighter than the gold in her bundle.
I let my lips curve up slightly.
Romantic. Approved.